Secret corridor

For unknown reasons, the government is not willing to present the details of the CPEC in parliament. Is it not making a mockery of democracy? The worst part is that our parliamentarians also seem to be uninterested in getting the relevant information regarding the corridor. The government is inaugurating one project after another without sharing the benefits they offer to people. Why this secrecy?

The much-trumpeted Lahore-Islamabad motorway never gets materialised. How can a wider road bring prosperity to a region when no jobs opportunities are created for local people? The government is also not willing to share the details of the strings attached with the construction of different projects along the corridor. Our foreign debt has gone beyond our capability of paying it back. The addition of the Chinese loan will make it almost impossible for us to manage it. Moreover, we will have to ensure that the economic corridor will remain open throughout the year to link the western part of China with Gwadar. There is a need to analyse the CPEC details to see whether we will be able to honour all commitments made to China or the corridor would prove to be an unfortunate liability.

M Akram Niazi

Rawalpindi